Pack opening and sheet receiving means



June 28,

a. e. VAUGHN ETAL PACK'OPENDIG AND SHEET RECEIVING MEANS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 24. 1945' Mun/v ELL.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 28, 1949. B. Ci VAUGHN ET AL OPENING AND SHEET RECEIVI'RG MEANS Filed Aug. 24, 1945 x June 28, 1949. I B, VAUGHN ETAL 2,474,765

PACK OPENING AND SHEET RECEIVING MEANS Filed Aug. 24, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet I5 June 28, 1949. a. ,G. VAUGHN ETAL 2,474,765

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Julie-28,1949. G. VAUGHN ETAL PAcK IENINQ AND SHEET RECEIVING mums File d Aug. 24, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG-ll mawwvw Gamma "opened.

PM June 28, 1949 UNITED sures PATENT ornce PACK OPENING AND SHEET RECEIVING MEANS Bernard G. Vaughn and William v. Fell, Zonesville, Ohio, assignors to Armco Steel Corporation, a corporation of Ohio Application August 24, 1945, Serial No. 612,492

.6 Claims. (Cl. 271-) As is well-known in gauge sheets on the hot sheet mill, it is the practice after certain roughing passes to match the rolling pieces and roll. them together. .In the course 01' further rolling operations, matching is again resorted to oneor more times; and it is not infrequent in such rolling operations to end the production of thin with a pack of the desired sheet breadth and thickness, and containing eight or even more individual sheets insuperposed position.

Sheets in such packs tend to become tightly stuck together so that the packs have to be This has hitherto commercially been done by hand. It is the practice to shear on the rough edges of the pack. Then the pack is placed upon a floor and an operator with tongs bends a corner of the pack back and forth so as to eflect an initial separation of the sheets at the corner. Wearing heat resisting shoes, the operator grasps a comer of the topmost sheet in his tongs and, holding down the pack with his foot, strips the sheetpartially away fromthe remainder of the pack. By reason of the large size of sheets in ordinary practice, it is not possible fully to strip a pack from one end only. As a consequence,

the operator will separate the sheets at the other end of the pack, usually at a diagonally opposite corner, and complete the stripping of the i st sheet from that end and in the opposite direction. Other sheets in the pack are successively stripped in the same way. i

The operating conditions under which stripping is done are unpleasant, and the work is back breaking. The initial separation of the sheets crumples or wrinkles them for a considerable distance inwardly from the corners, generally at two corners, but frequently at more, since if an operator isunable to produce effective separation at one corner, he will proceed to another. The

The fundamental object oiour invention is the provision of mechanical means for separating packs, not alone to avoid the undue physical difllculty of hand pack opening, but also to open 2 packs with far less wastage and destruction of materials. It may be stated that our pack opener in commercial operation is opening packs of hot rolled silicon steel with a throw-out of less than 1% The initial operation oi. eilecting sheet sew ration at a corner results in so much less crinklin or crumpling' of the sheets as to involve in itself no wastage, and but one corner of the pack is aifected. The separation of sheets from the pack is a continuous and uniform operation involving a steady application of power so that loss from tearing or creasing of the sheets is avoided and. as hereinafter explained, it is usually possible to effect the separation of all sheets in a pack, or of a large number of them, simultaneously. Hence. the operation of pack opening is g eatly speeded up with attendant further savings. These accomplishments may be considered as further objects of the invention.

Other objects of the invention, which will be set forth. hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, are accomplished, together with the main objects, by that construction and arrangement of parts of which we shall set forth an exemplary embodiment. Reference is made to the drawings wherein: a

Figure 1 is a plan view, and Figure 2 an elevation of a leading or first portion of our apparatus in which separation of the sheets at a corner is effected.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of a succeeding apparatus in which actual separation of the sheets occurs.

Figure 4 is an elevational view illustrative of the carriage traverse.

Figure 5 is a partial elevational view taken from the opposite side of the carriage.

Figures 8 and 6a are diagrammatic representations of control means.

Figure 7 is a wiring diagram for motor control.

Figure 8 is a partial plan view of a catcher apparatus, and Figure 9 is an elevational view thereof with parts in section.

Figure 10 is an end elevational view of a catcher showing a throw-out mechanism.

Figure 11 is an enlarged cross-section of a portion of a catcher illustrating more clearly certain features of the throw-out mechanism.

In the practice of our invention, we provide a means which, receiving a pack, clamps it to a bed adjacent one corner, whereupon a power actuated comb or rack device engagin the corner oi. the pack, subjects the corner beyond the clamp to a rapid series or flexing movements, re-

' the pack.

sulting in sheet separation at the corner.

The

pack is then released and passesinto a second ing pinch rolls. Means are provided to cause the carriage to move longitudinally of thebed for a distance at least as great as the lengthof the pack. The pinch mils are also driven in a timed relationship to the movement -of the carriage. When the pack isin position and is held to the bed by means of the magnetic hold-downs, the operator grasps a loosened sheet at the corner with histongs and, pulling upwardly on it. strips it just sufficiently to enable him to introduce it between the rolls of the pinch roll combination onthe carriage. We preferably provide a limit switch to be actuated by the sheet so introduced; this switch starts the traverse oi the carriage. The sheet is pulled upwardly and over the lower pinch roll (which has a diameter sufllcient to. prevent crimping of the sheet), and as this pull is exerted, the carriage moves progressively toward the opposite end of the pack. Thus the sheet is'continuously and progressively stripped from the pack, is inverted through the action of the pinch rolls, and is delivered beyond the second section of the apparatus.

When the first sheet has been so stripped and delivered, an automatically acting mechanism returns the carriage to its initial position, ready to receive a second sheet. Thus the sheets may be individually and successively stripped from The catcher embodies stacking means hereinafter to be described, and preferably it also em,-' bodies a means whereby sheets, which are seen to be imperfect or non-commercial for any reason, may be prevented from going into the stack and delivered instead to an oii'slde position where they may be removed as scrap.

We have also found that it is possible to strip a plurality of sheets from a pack and in many instances all of the sheets in a pack simultaneously. If an operator en'ects an initial separation of two or more sheets and introduces these sheets into the pinch rolls with their ends in offset relationship, the action of stripping a plurality of the sheets from the pack will result also in a separation of the sheets from each other, as will hereinafter be more fully explained.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, we have shown, mounted upon a suitable framework I, a table 2, which may conveniently be in the form of a roller conveyor. This table receives the unopened packs,. preferably from a conveyor operating in a transverse direction adjacent the table 2 and serving to deliver the packs from a shear at which the pack edges have been trimmed. The

last mentioned conveyor and shear have not been illustrated.

When a pack has been delivered to the table 2, it is brought to rest thereon in such a way that its end overlies a supplementary table I, mounted on suitable standards 4. Stop I is provided to position the end of the pack and a side guide element 6, pivoted on the frame, as at 1, is operated by a pull link 8 in such fashion as to move the pack against a stationary stop means 9 on the frame 4. When the pack is properly positioned, one of its corners extends beyond a diagonally cut-away corner of the table 3, indica'ted at Ia. A hold-down olamp element III is brought against the pack ll so as to clampit against the table 3. The clamp I0 is cut away along the same line as the table so that the corner of the pack extends beyond both. The clamp ll may be actuated in any suitable fashion. We have shown it.actuated by the piston l2 of'an air cylinder ll mounted on an overhead irame element la on the framework 4. A means It for engaging the pack'comer is mounted for vertical reciprocation. This means again may be actuated in any way desired. We have shown it connected to the piston ll of an air cylinder I! mounted to the floor or to a portion of the frame 4. The engagement means ll .may conveniently be in the form of an angle iron to which transverse members, indicated at Na in Figure 2, have been welded to form a sort of comb or rack. As the member I is driven upwardly or downwardly by the air cylinder ii, the comb teeth Ila subject the corner of the pack to a series of gentle flexing movements which effectively separate the sheets of the pack at the corner without wrinkling or crumpling the metal.

The link 8 for operating the side guide 6 may be connected, if desired, by a suitable lever linkage I! with the clamp In so that as this clamp descends, the side guide positions the pack prior to the actual clamping. The link 8 may, however, be otherwise moved, if desired.

When the sheets have been separated or loosened from each other at the corner of the pack, the clamp I0 is released and the pack is then moved to a second section of the machine. This is usually done by an operator with tongs sliding the pack over the conveyor table 2; but it maybe done mechanically by powering the conveyor, as will be readily understood.

In thesecond section of the machine, as illus-- trated in Figure 3, we provide on a suitable framework l8, a. conveyor table l9. To assist in moving the pack over the conveyor tables 2 and I8, both may be slanted slightly in the direction in which the packs proceed.

A suitable stop means 2|! is provided to position the pack II on thetable l9 and, where the packsto be opened are variable as to size, we

make the pack stop means 20 adjustable. In

connection with the conveyor table Hi, we provide magnetic hold-down means. These may be of various types and styles, but are so constructed or so arranged and assembled as to exert an adeveyor table l9,-or they may be located in fixed" relation and provided in such numbers as to exert an effective retaining action upon the packs of various lengths throughout the extent of these packs.

We prefer magnetic hold-down means for. the reason that they do not require members engaging the pack on its upper surface and thus leave the pack free for the stripping operation hereinafter described. With magnetic hold-downs of suitable strength, however, we have not found it necessary to locate them at close intervals throughout the length of the pack. One or more hold-downs near both ends of a pack areusually suilicient.

Above the level of the conveyor table is on shafts.

verse movement thereof at will.

A pair of pinch rolls 2% and 21 are iournaled in the framework of thecarriage and are preferabiy provided with screwdown or adjustment means, indicated diagrammatically at 23.

The rolls 2B and 21 do not need to be continuous rolls extending transversely across the pack. They may instead comprise a series of two or more disc-like rolls, mounted upon common Attached to a cross bar 23 onthe carriage, we provide a. forwardly extending framework 3|! which moves with the carriage, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3, sliding on rollers 3|, mounted upon brackets 32 on the main frame of the machine. The framework 30 receives one or moresheets as they pass between the pinch rolls 26 and 21 and ultimately delivers the separated sheets to the catcher hereinafter described.

A motor 33 is mounted upon the carriage framework and is operatively connected by a suitable drive to the pinch drive combination 26, 21 so as to drive these mils.

. For driving the carriage, an endless chain 34 is mounted along the frame I3 andpasses over sprockets on shafts 35 and 36. A motor 31 or' traversetof the carriage 24 both to the right' and to the left in Figure 3. The motor 31 is provided with control circuits in such fashion that a complete traverse of the carriage will'be effected automatically upon the actuation of a starting limit switch. A suitable wiring diagram I for the motor is shown in Figure 7. A starting limit switch 33 is mounted upon the carriage in such a way as to. be engaged by a sheet end introduced between pinch rolls 26 and 21. When this switch is thrown, the motoris started in operation in the forward direction, driving the carriage to the right, in the several figures. At the end of the traverse of the carriage in this direction, a bracket means 40 actuates another limit switch 4| which serves to reverse the motor 31, thus producing a traverse of the carriage in" the opposite direction. When the carriage reaches the starting point, the same bracket, 40, actuates a third switch 42,, which stops the motor. The

startingswitches as shown. We also provide,in

aposition of convenient access to the operator, a series of switches, indicated at 43, for stopping the motor 31 and for producing forward and re- .The operators position will be at the left-hand end of the second section of the mechanism, illustrated in Figure 3, and various controlmeans may be located there. These include a switch 44 (Figure 6) for the magnetic hold-downs 2|, 22-which, of course, will. be energized by direct current. The motor 33 for driving the pinch roll combination 26, 21' may be provided with a circuits are such that, when so stopped the motor 6 circuit arrangement, as is also shown diagrammatically in Figure 7, and which includes a startin: switch 45 and a'stop switch 48. It is possible to make these switches in the form of limit switches actuated by the carriage at or near the limits of its traverse; but we find it more convenient to provide manual switches at the operators station, since it is usually possible to keep mechanical or electrical valve control means for actuating the cylinders 13 and I3 described in connection with the first section of our apparatus.

A single operator is able to handle the first and second sections oi our machine without dimcuity, and as explained hereinafter, the action of the catcher and stacker may be made fully automatic so that no attendant operator at this point is required, unless inspection of a very close character is desired.

The pack opener operator positions the pack on table 2 and actuates a valve or. switch for operating the clampand guide combination. He then actuates another valve or switch for flexing the corner of the pack by means of the comb. Releasing the pack from the clamp, he then guides its travel along tables 2 and it until it is'brought againstthe back-stop 20. He throws the switch 44 for energizing the magnetic hold-downs. With a tongs he engages the topmost sheet of the pack through these rolls, it trips limit switch 39, whereupon the carriage moves toward the right in the several figures, and a stripping operation occurs progressively and continuously. The carriage is stopped automatically at the right- -hand end of its traverse, by means which have already been described, the sheet having now beencompletely stripped, and moving over the framework 30 under the influence of the pinch rolls. At the limit of the right-hand traverse of the carriage 24, the framework 30 substantially overlies the catcher mechanism next to be described; and since the traverse of the carriage from right to left begins immediately and automatically, the framework 30 is withdrawn from beneath the sheet.

As indicated in Figures 8 to 10 inclusive, the

catcher comprisesa su'itableframe 41 upon which. at an elevated station underlying the framework 30, there are located a pair of drop plates and 49 which are pivoted to the frame at their outer edges. The sheet Ila is delivered by the framework 30 onto these plates and comes to rest against an adjustable back-stop 50.

The plates 43 and 4 9'are pivoted by being attached respectively to shafts 5| and 52. These shafts are connected by suitable linkages 53-and 54 to an actuating device which may be an air cylinder 55 mounted uponan extension of the frame. This air cylinder may be controlled by a solenoid valve 56. As shown in Figure Ga. a

switchll may be provided for this valve at the operators station; but we also prefer to provide on the second section ofwour machine a limit switch 58. As shown in Figure 5, this limit switch is located upon the frame iii of the secondor stripper-section in such a posltion as to be-actus ated by the bracket 40 on the carriage 24, when 1 ary end guide or abutment I2 is provided at one endof the stack, and at the other we provide an end guide or abutment l3, pivoted as at 64 to'the movable abutment I0, and held in place by a link and rod arrangement I and It, so that this abutment may be swung out of the way, as indicated .in the dotted lines, when it is desired to remove the stack. .At one side at least of the stack,- we Journal a shaft I1 connected by a linkage 68 to theshaft ll, nd by this means to the air cylinder 55. To the haft 31, we connect side abutment means 89, II by a linkage shown at H in Figure 10. Upon actuation the side abutment means 69, II move inwardly from the dotted line position in Figure to the solid line position, thus enabling side alignment of'the sheets in the stack. At the other side of the stack, we may provide a suitable removable abutment I! or a fixed abutment whic forms part of the platform ill. I v

As we have described above, the stripped sheets are delivered to'the drop plates'by means of the framework 30. The last sheet lying upon the conveyor table ills sent through the pinch rolls in the same fashion upon release of the'magnetic hold-downs. v e

To assist in the positive removal of the various sheets from the framework 30, we provide on the end of the second section of our machine a pinch roll combination It, It driven from a'motor through agear reducer l0. e V

It is convenient to provide a means for throwing out defective or improperlystripped sheets. To this end, we mount on suitable brackets TH above the frame 41, ashaft 18. Arm members" I8 are affixed to this shaft; Other arm members 80 are pivoted to the ends of the first mentioned arms and a spring means II is employed to draw the arm membersdnto alignment, as shown in.

dotted lines in Figure 11. The lowermost arm members carrymeans l2 toengage beneath the edges of sheets Ila lying upon the drop plates 48 and 49. The shaft II is connected by a link 83 to the piston 04 of an air' cylinder 85 mounted upon the-frame 4?. This device constitutes akicker, by means of which sheets I la may be slid the pinch 20, 21 in fanned or oil'set bed, a carriage mounted on the'frame above the sidewise over the drop plates to be deposited alongside the catcher" where waste receiving means may be positioned. A valve, or theswitch fora solenoid valve (not shown) ,may be located in the operator's position. The operator, watching the stripping process, will thus be able to erly stripped. If a closer inspection is desir an inspector may be stationed at the catcher, in which event, the valve or switch for-the air throw out any sheets which he sees are illlpfigt; v

cylinder OI will be located in a position of con-' venient access to him., g

The operation of our apparatus will be clear from the description above. Instead of stripping a pack sheet by sheet, it has been found possible to strip a plurality of sheets from the pack and.

from each other simultaneously. Thisv is accomplished by freeing the ends of a plurality of sheets in the pack and introducing them between tions. The action of the apparatus remains the same; but as the sheets are drawn upwardly in the are illustrated and passed through the pinch rolls, they are separated from each other because of their offset position, the separation occurring. in

the arc of movement prior to the passage of the sheets through the pinch rolls.

Modifications may be made in ourinvention without departing from the spirit thereof. Havi'ng thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a pack opening device, a bed uponwhich .a pack may be placed, magnetic means for clamping the pack to the bed, a. carriage movable above the bed parallel to, the plane of the pack, pinch rolls mounted in said carriage between which the freed end of a pack sheet may be introduced, means for moving the carriage away from the end ofthe pack from which said sheet end has been freed and means for concurrently driving said pinch rolls, whereby the combined movement of the carriage and of the extends forwardly in the direction of the last V mentioned movement of the carriage to receive 39 the stripped sheet.

3. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein it framework is attached tosald carriage and extends forwardly in the direction of the last mentioned movement of the carriage to receive the stripped sheet, and including a. stacker mechanism to which said framework delivers said stacked sheet.

4, In a pack opening device, a frame, a bed mounted on said frame upon which a pack may be placed, means for clamping the pack to the bed and pack for movement longitudinally-of the pack, pinch rolls mounted in the carriage, means for driving said pinch rolls, means for driving.

said carriage in a traverse path substantially throughout the length of said pack and back to a starting position, said pinch rolls being adapted to receive the freed end of a pack sheet, a limit switch located adjacent said pinch rolls to be contacted by a sheet engaged in said pinch rolls, said switch acting to initiate a traverse of said carriage away from the pack end from which said sheet has been freed, a second limit switch located beyond the opposite end of the pack to be actuated by said carriage" to initiate return movement thereof, and a third limit switch located near the first mentioned and of said pack to stop the carriage upon completion of its return traverse,

5. The structure claimed in claim 4 including a framework attached to said carriage and extending forwardly in the direction of the forward movement of said. carriage to .receive a stripped sheet passing through said pinch rolls, and astacker mechanism to which said framework delivers the stripped sheet.

6. The structure claimed in claim 4 including J a framework attached to said carriage and extending forwardly in the direction of the forward movement of said carriage to receive a stripped sheet passing through said pinch rolls and a stacker mechanism to which said framework delivers the' stripped sheet, said stacker mechanism comprising pivoteddrop plates upon which said stripped sheet is deposited, means for dropping said plates to deposit said sheet upon a. stack, and means for actuating the dropping means including a control switch located to be actuated by said carriage upon completion of its return stroke.

BERNARD G. VAUGHN. WILLIAM V. FELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file 01 this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number 229,819

10 Name Date Barber Sept, 13, 1910 Stratton Nov. 22, 1910 Waite Nov. 16, 1915 Feddersen Apr. 19, 1921 Maineri Nov. 15, 1921 Ehlig Apr. 28, 1925 Blacker Oct. 25, 1927 Rich et a1. Mar. 27, 1928 Ranger Sept. 17, 1929 Broadmeyer Nov. 19, 1929 Kerley Jan. 14, 1930 Young et all. June 2, 1931 Donnellan Mar. 15, 1938 Donnellan .Apr. 19, 1938 Zahutnik Mar. 18, 1941 Tornberg Apr. 7, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany Jan. 11, 1911 

